Studies in Buddhist and Jaina Monachism

Author(s): Nand Kishor Prasad
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

Page 212

SECTION III PAVARANA
The solemn stay at one place during the four months of the rains is closed by a conference of the mendicants called pavāraṇā. Pavaraņā is understood, firstly, as 'closing'i, because it is the uposatha held speci. ally at the close of the vassāvāsa; and secondly, as 'invitation', for every monk or nun present in the meeting invites one's companions to remind him or her of the offence seen, heard or suspected during the vassavāsa. Thus the confession of one's lapses and shortcomings is the soul of pavārană. The elaborate rules laid down as regards the procedure of pavarana are, only with some indispensable variations, mostly identical with those of the uposatha, already discussed. It seems, therefore, useless to work out the details once more. But a few facts which may lead one to confusion and misunderstanding must be made clear. We must bear in mind that patarană unlike the uposatha, was not to be performed necessarily on the day of termination of the period of the vassāvāso. Sometimes it was postponed to the komudi că tuma sini, 4 if there was any difficulty in its solemnisation or if the monks were unwilling to quit their lodge. In any case it must be performed within a week after the expiry of the term of the vassāvāsa. Like the uposatha, pavāraṇā too was originally proclaimed by the monks on behalf of the nuns. But ultimately the nuns themselves were a uthorised to proclaim their pavārana before the assembly of monks.
The nearest approximate Jaina concept corresponding to pavāraņā is khamăvanā (kşamā paņā). Originally this Jaina ceremony was performed at the end of the pajjusana period, i. e, on the fifth of the
1. In this connection the remark of Prof. Louis Renow is worth noticing
"The last day of the period of wandering life is marked by a general confession, which thus terminates the active part of the religious life and also coincides with the end of the Jaina year; this confession is the counterpart (f the Buddhist confession that marks the end of the rainy season and constitutes a feature of what is known as the pavārana or 'closing' ”Religions of Ancient India, p. 128; CF. EB3, p. 142.
Vide EBI, p. 143; Book of Discipline, Vol. IV, p. 211 fn 2. 3. Vide Supra, pp. 159-65. 4. Vide EB), pp. 142-43; CF MV, 3.12.25, p. 163. 5. EBJ, p. 181. 6. CV, 10.12.25-27, pp. 395-97;